We used the WZ Ceramica Alhambra tiles for our backsplash. We used multiple colors but I can tell you that even within one color there is enormous variation tile to tile. Depending on what you call the "granite pattern" of your formica, this could amount to a busy look if your granite pattern is a busy one. Or maybe not. Something to take into account-- there will be much more variation in your shipment of Ceramica Alhambra than there is in the samples you get from the WZ store.

Hm, that's a consideration, since my flooring has a lot of pattern going on it it. The countertop patterning is more subtle, it's black with beige and gold colored patterning.

Cj

I inadvertantly left out one of the other tiles that the designer at the shop thought would work well in our kitchen. Stone again...there seems to be a lot of green in these.

{{gwi:1669200}}

Cj

I might change my mind about the stone being a bad choice with the 2 types of stone-look counters and floors... as I'm realizing that it will be more of a distance to the floor and the floor tile is such a larger scale. But I'd still be cautious, and I'd still stay away from the one that mimics the floor pattern.

However, that's quite a departure from the inspiration pic. Of course, I think green would be quite a different look, too. Not as 'sunny.' It's more elegant than the stone. Where the yellow tile has what looks like tan and red accents, would you add something like that, too?

Hi cj47. About your concern regarding mixing real stone with your laminate counter and vinyl-- a friend of mine did just that and the backsplash MAKES the kitchen gorgeous and special, IMHO. (fwiw, I'm an architect and pretty fussy about how things look and go together, too). My friend used a dark "granite" laminate, like yours, and her cabinets are a similar color, but hers aren't even as "special", as they are off-the shelf oak from HD - bought them as they were being discontinued ( though to be honest, they are an exceptionally pretty stain color for such inexpensive oak cabinets!) her floors are pergo "wood"-another faux finish, and the backsplash is 2x2 mixed, real slate tile ( from HD again! ). It looks fantastic, and definitely is the focal point of the kitchen. It ties everything together and helps make what would otherwise look like a "nothing special" kitchen look more " upgraded".
By the way, I love the stacked stone tile in your first photo. Would you mind telling me the name and where I can get more info about it-- I am also looking for a backsplash stone tile! Thanks.

Fun2Learn, thank you for your input. I'm very challenged with regard to putting things together--so I've been leaning heavily on the designers here at GW. The designers at the tile shops have been hit-and-miss. So far, that's a half a vote from Rhome and one full one from Fun2Learn.

What do you guys think of something like that stacked stone, but with a few long glass tiles interspersed? I saw one like that and dismissed it thinking it would bring too much 'modern' into the space--but, now I'm wishing I'd have brought it home anyway, just to see how it looks. The colors were really good.

Rhome, if I did something like the yellow tile arrangement, I'd use a shade of green and I would definately put some other small colored tiles in there for accent. But, IF it works at all, the stone one might be growing on me. The hubs will be pleased. That's his current favorite.

The stacked stone tile is from Crossville Tile, Modern Mythology, Oracle series. Oddly, this particular design is not pictured on their website, so I took a picture of the actual sample I have here.

Thanks for the input!!

Cj

CJ
I feel your pain. I still have to figure out our backsplash.
Things I decided so far...
-Nothing porous!!
-Nothing with grooves and multiple elevations to catch junk and dust!

I did like some of the tiles from Crossville and will check out our local retail store!

I will be watching your choices!

a2gemini, I'm totally with you on nothing porous and nothing with crevices to catch stray splatters of spaghetti sauce and such. I'm trying very hard to keep a craftsman-inspired vibe going. It can be slightly modern, but not too much. As a reminder, this is what it's currently looking like, with the cherry being a little darker as this picture was taken about a year ago.

I really like the last sample you posted, with the greens. Everything seems to match really nicely in that sample.

If you still are interested in tile, check out Motawi. They're in Ann Arbor, MI, so not so far away from WI. They have some great Craftsman and not-quite-so-Craftsman tiles. They *are* pricy so maybe the stacked stone will work out cheaper for you, if you're happy with it.

I *think* this kitchen uses Motawi and that also it belongs to some lucky person here on the forum. The colors are similar to yours.

I have NFI in Motawi (kinda wish I did!).

HTH

Here is a link that might be useful: Motawi tile website

That's Jaymielo's kitchen--it's in my inspiration file! That whole house is just beautiful. Unfortunately, that tile company doesn't seem to be around anymore. The website was gone and searching lead me nowhere. Motowi is gorgeous stuff, too. I need to check that a little more closely. Thanks!

Cj

Are you doing the Versailles slate flooring? We have that as well, and here's our backsplash tile:

I think the maker is called Vine Street--I know the color is Amber Tea. It has a little bit of slate in it, but not too much. It seems like you and I are using a lot of the same inspiration in our kitchens--feel free to check out the rest of my Flickr gallery!

That's a beautiful tile! Our floor is already in--it's Stainmaster vinyl in a slate pattern. I have an appointment with another tile place on Saturday, this person says she has a lot of ideas for us to look at, so I'm hopeful.

thanks!!
Cj

Hi again, Cj47!
I'm sorry for the confusion, but in my previous reply, I didn't mean to imply that I was "voting" for you to use the first stone in your photos--only that I think that using a natural stone on the backspash could look great,(as evidenced in my friend's kitchen) even though you have "faux" stone and granite elsewhere.
Also, when I said that I loved the stack stone in the photo, I meant that I personally loved the stone, and was interested in finding out where I could get that, for MY KITCHEN, LOL, as I have been looking for a slate or quartzite stack stone for MY kitchen! (Can you tell me where it is from or what the name of it is?)
I actually was thinking about your "dilemma" this morning, and here is some "food for thought", fwiw. I was trying to imagine what I would do- so bear with me here: Pretend you "rolled back" the clock, and you hadn't yet installed the floor or counter yet. Imagine that you were in a tile design showroom, and had just picked out your granite (which happens to look just like your existing laminate), and had just selected your floor tile, which was a REAL, NATURAL SLATE TILE (in a color and pattern that just happened to look exactly like your existing vinyl!) Now, if you then decided that you wanted to go with a natural stone for the backsplash, too, wouldn't you obviously select a stone tile that was the same type and color of slate as you had just selected for the floor, though not necessarily the same pattern? You would definitely NOT go over to the sample racks and pick out another completely different type of stone or different color of slate, now would you? And I don't think that you would, after having just picked out a strong pattern for the floor, such as your "versailles" pattern, decide to go with another strong, but completely different and unrelated tile pattern (such as the stacked stone)that used stones of completely different sizes and shapes, either. You would probably either use the same "Versailles" pattern on the wall, or pick out one of the sizes of tiles used in the floor pattern, such as a 2 x 2 or 4 x 4, for example, and use one of those in a simple pattern on the wall. For an accent and some contrast, maybe you would include a small border of glass mosaic tiles, for example.
My point is, if you think of your floor as if it was a real slate tile, it might help you in your decision making process for the backsplash- especially if you are thinking of stone tile for the backsplash. I hope this helps.

Perhaps your designer was trying to get a close match to your floor, but on my computer the stones she picked don't look like they are even the same color or even the same type of stone as your floor is trying to emulate. The last option you showed us (with the same pattern as your floor,) would be a specially poor choice since the comparision between the two would be obvious, and the colors appear very different. It would look like you tried to match the floor, but didn't quite get it right (or vice versa!)
However, you may have a hard time matching the floor's vinyl with a real slate. I have no idea how realistic your floor "slate" is in real life. In that case, I think using a totally different material, such as a ceramic tile (not one trying to look like stone, though!)or glass is probably a "safer" option. If you went that route, you could tie it in with the floor perhaps by using a small slate border (and maybe a slate accent feature above the range). If it is used in small quatities, the slate's comparision to the floor would be minimized. If the color was very close, it could work well, imho.
I think that the mixed mosaic tile that Drainbead picked out looks like it might work for you--it looks like it has some slate mixed with glass. It is very pretty, though it might look more contemporary than craftsman, however.
I don't think the gold color of the walker zanger tile you posted is very flattering to your cabinets, though perhaps it is just that the photo's color is off, or my computer's color!
I think you are wise to examine all the elements/colors of your space together when deciding---just like a designer's project board!
Best wishes on your project. Let us know what you decide. (And please post the info on the stacked stone, thanks!)

Fun2Learn, thank you very much for taking the time to write that so clearly! I do appreciate it, and I'm going to think about it a little more thoroughly after I'm done making dinner for the troops here. I see your point, and it's a good one. The floor looks astonishingly like the real thing--to the point where when were were carrying around the sample board, the guy at the tile shop complemented us on the choice of slate. :-) I tend to think that perhaps I should stay with my first vision--subway tile in a color that looks nice with the room, perhaps with some accent inserts. I love Jaymielo's tile, it's not the right color for my room, but I love the way it's laid out and the accents in it.

Thanks again.

Oh, and I did post the stone information above, but here it is again:

The stacked stone tile is from Crossville Tile, Modern Mythology, Oracle series. Oddly, this particular design is not pictured on their website, so I took a picture of the actual sample I have here.

I hope you can find it in your locale.

Cj

cj47
We are going with cherry with a black glaze, so will be a lot darker than my original plan.
Also what is your floor tile - maybe I missed on the above posts but my eyes are about fried!

a2gemini, my floor 'tile' is vinyl, Stainmaster "Blue Slate". There's some blue in there, but it's very grey and there's also a lot of green. We like it very much, it's softer than real slate and easy to take care of. It just does have a lot of pattern in it, so I'm a little worried about getting too busy in there.

Cj

I would definitely not do the stone bs with your other choices. It just does not work harmoniously, IMHO.
The WZ tile is so much better for your kitchen. You could also try a different ceramic or even glass tile if the WZ does not work out. You may want to check out Mission Tile West's choices. They have some lovely tiles that are not monochromatic and have that handmade look to them too.

Here is a link that might be useful: some dealer boards of MTW

I want to thank everyone who has responded so far. I appreciated everyone's opinions, and it really made me stop and think about how far I've come from the original vision I had for the space, and how it will change the way the room feels if I put a stone backsplash up, no matter how many tile designers throw 'em at me, or sadly, even how much my husband kind of liked them. He says to get what I like, and he does mean it. My original vision was plainer tiles, probably subways, with accents, and I think I'm going to be better off if I stick with something like that. I'm going back to one of the tile stores we visited and sit down with a designer who seems to be willing to listen to what I had in mind. I appreciate everyone's honesty, and also the nudge back in the right direction.
You guys are great!
Dianalo, those MTW boards are beautiful!

Cj

Cj, when I made the comment about the Ceramica Alhambra possibly being busy in your kitchen, I had not seen the picture of your kitchen. Now that I have seen it, I think the tiles could be beautiful there.